The present invention relates to a package and a dispensing plate primarily for use in dispensing and separating pre-moistened towels or smaller towelettes from a continuous web of towelling material.
Pre-moistened sheets or towelettes are increasingly popular among consumers because they are convenient and easily provide a "damp cloth" even when water is not readily available. For the most part, these sheets are either individually wrapped or come as part of a continuous web which is rolled and perforated so that it can be separated into a plurality of individual sheets. This invention relates to the dispensing of the sheets or towelettes packaged as a rolled, continuous web.
Presently, rolls of towelettes are delivered to the consumer in a plastic container with a separable top removably fitted over the container. The top has a specifically designed outlet for withdrawing the towelettes on the roll therethrough and for subsequently separating the individual towelettes from the roll. Novelty among different containers and tops lies primarily in the construction of the opening through which the towelettes are required to pass as they are removed from the roll. The opening must be large enough to permit the towelettes to fit therethrough and, at the same time, must be small enough to exert enough frictional pull on the towelettes to cause them to separate along the perforated dividing lines.
Several examples of previously patented containers include: U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,002 to Doyle et al., wherein the opening is a combination of cross-slits; U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,417 to Boedecker, wherein the towelette is withdrawn through a plate which has a single circular opening therethrough; U.S. Pat. No. 3,868,052 to Rockefeller, wherein an opening is provided which has protrusions directed toward the central portion of the opening; U.S. Pat. No. 3,843,017 to Harrison, wherein the opening has a flap thereacross which slightly engages the continuous web as it is withdrawn through the opening; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,973,695 to Ames, wherein the opening is an elongated opening through which the continuous web is withdrawn.
While all of these prior art towelette dispensers seem to function well and achieve their goal of separating the individual towelettes from the continuous perforated web, there are drawbacks. The major drawback and area for improvement is the total packaging concept which currently requires expensive materials for forming the package, much hand labor, and, ultimately disposal of the spent container. The dispenser/containers now available are almost entirely formed from extruded and molded plastics, have a top with the specific type of outlet therethrough positioned on top of the container with the web thereinside, and require that the web be initially fed through the opening so that it is ready to be used. Also, the dispensing opening must be conveniently sealed in some way to prevent the pre-moistened towelettes from drying out before reaching the consumer, and finally, since the containers are of rigid plastic, the disposal of them creates problems--they are bulky even when empty and create polluting fumes when they are burned.